Car-bolster.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 1

CHARLES T. WESTLAKE, OF GRANITE, ILLINOIS.

CAR-BOL S TER.

$PEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 692,568, dated February 4, 1902,

Application filed June 20,1901. Serial No. 65,247. (No modeli) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. WESTLAKE, of Granite, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Bolsters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof. I

This invention relates to car-bolsters; and it consists of the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter shown, described, and claimed.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved car-bolster composed of I-beams connected by means of side plates,having the bearings fixed upon the upper I-beam between the flanges, the advantages of which will be described below.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my complete invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is an end view.

In the form shown in the drawings the bolster consists of the top 1, composed of an I- beam, the flanges 20f which extend vertically along the sides thereof. The bottom 3 also consists of an I-beam placed in same position as top 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The top 1 and the bottom 3 are connected by means of the center plates 4 and the end brackets 5, which are of usual construction and are rigidly attached to the flanges of the I-beams by means of rivets or other similar fastening devices. The central bearing-plate 6 is secured upon the top 1 and fits snugly between the side flanges 2, whereby it is firmly retained in position by the flanges and bolts or rivets. The side bearings 7 are provided with laterally-extending bases 8, which rest upon the top 1, and the said bearings are also supported between the flanges 2, whereby they are held in positionand prevented from moving laterally and are secured by rivets or bolts. I-beams used by others for this purpose are placed with their webs vertical and their flanges projecting horizontally. To provide for column-guides on bolstersof such construction, it is customary to notch the flanges of the beams to form same. It has been demonstrated that this does not provide sufficient bearing-surface, and it has become necand if constructed of I-beams with webs ver-' tical it is necessary to attachseparate pieces for thepurpose, as the horizontally-project-- in g flanges of the beams have insufficient bear= ing-surface presented. Bolsters of this design also, as a general rule, require extra pieces at their ends on bottom to serve as spring-seats to confine the springs. With my design by placing the Webs of I-beams in a horizontal position and connecting them by side plates the plates forming the connections also serve as column-guides and chafingplates,andthe downwardly-projecting flanges of lower beam form seats to confine the springs.

I have shown and described a bolster which is composite and formed of a number of separable parts; butit is manifest that I may form them in a single casting having the vertical flanges top and bottom. I do not desire to be limited to a composite bolster, since the variation mentioned would be only formal.

1. A-car-bolster, consisting of a top in the form of an I-beam and having upwardly and downwardly projecting flanges andbearings carried upon the top between the said flanges,-

and a bottom rigidly connected to the said top, substantially as specified. v

2. A bolster, comprising a top and bottom both in the form of an I-beam and having upwardly and downwardly projecting flanges, side brackets connected to the top and bottom, and bearings mounted upon the top between the said vertical flanges, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES T. wEsrLAKE. Witnesses:

ALFRED A. EIoKs, J OHN O. HIGDON. 

